There's no place like Stockholm
by pedrounicorn
Summary: A young female photographer is captured and tortured by the pirate king of Rook Island himself. But as she spends more time around this vicious individual she can feel her hatred for him and her sanity slowly slipping away. Vaas x OC tw: rape, violence, sexual assault
1. Arrival

TRIGGER WARNING: Rape, sexual assault, violence, gore

PLEASE don't read if you will be triggered by any of these themes because they will exist heavily throughout the story, I do not want anyone suffering emotional or physical harm because of my writing!

That being said I do hope those of you who chose to continue find yourselves pleased with my fic and do feel free to leave me any criticism that could help me to improve my writing.

So without further delay, please enjoy!~

I could feel the sand gritting between my teeth as I lay facedown on the beach, hair sprawled out in all directions and I could taste blood on my mouth. From my view on the ground I could see men in heavy black combat boots moving from one person to the next, shooting one after another and saving few. Grey brain matter, slick and shiny with blood, hit the sand like heavy rain before bodies feel limp and lifeless. The boots, dark and angry, circled each person like a shark, inspecting them and occasionally giving them a nudge before blood spattered across the sand. I tried to look away, tried to bury my face and let the tears flow but I couldn't. It was almost as if everything was happening too fast for my brain to process. The actions taking place around me were at light speed and here I was limping toward them in an attempt to catch up, fruitlessly groping through the darkness of my own confusion and disbelief.

Eventually I managed to close my eyes, squeezing my lids shut even if the sand was scratching at my corneas. It didn't matter: I simply could not watch it any longer. What felt like a thousand gunshots went off before I was yanked upward by my hair. My scalp screamed in pain and I winced as I was brought to my knees, tears brimming on my lashes while two calloused hands smoothed back my dark hair.

"Hello, Sweetheart," a voice chuckled into my face. I could feel hot breath on my mouth and nose, and my eyelashes fluttered open. "Why are you not in a bikini too, hm?" The voice asked, fingers probing at the hem of my jeans. He was referring to all of the other girls on the boat I had been on that were now lying in pools of their own blood, their expensive designer bathing suits dyed bright crimson so brilliant it made me sick to look at. My lips trembled as I attempted to speak, too terrified and stiff to muster up a word as I gaped up at this beast that now so delicately cupped my face in his hands. "You gunna fuckin' answer me?" He whispered, leaning his lips to my ear so his hot breath caught in my hair.

Everything about him was barbaric; his face, hard and mean with heavy circles beneath his eyes, was twisted in a snarl as he glared down at me with his lip raised past his gums. It took a moment before my eyes met his; they were a blue so light and pleasant, but there was something disgusting about those cerulean orbs staring down at me. They were revolting and I coughed out a mixture of phlegm and blood across my lap as I kneeled in the sand before him.

"I'm a photographer," I finally managed to stammer, the bloody mixture bubbling past my lips and dribbling down my chin. "Those are the models, and I'm a photographer, w-we were here for a photo shoot." I had attempted to sound strong and unafraid, but my voice failed me and the noise that left my throat was hardly more than a whisper. The man still squatted in front of me, those pale angry eyes scanning me like a bird of prey as I sat on the backs of my calves in the sand.

"A photographer yeah?" He challenged with a laugh, raising a scarred eyebrow at me. The scar traced not only from his eyebrow but as I got a better look at him I could see that it went back past his ear and over the dome of his skull on the right side of his head. Shaved were both sides but down the middle grew a thick black Mohawk that made him seem even more savage than if he were to have no hair at all. "This one is a photographer!" He called over to one of the other pirates, all of whom resonated in the same wicked laughter he had shown her earlier. "A photographer. You take pretty pictures of pretty places? What about my island? Is she beautiful enough for you, Miss photographer?" He stood up and threw his arms out on either side of him, pointing to all of the green foliage around him in a grand gesture.

I couldn't even answer. I just stared. It wasn't long before he had his hand back on my face only this time it wasn't gentle. His thumb and forefinger gripped on either side of my chin and I could feel a bruise forming beneath his knuckles as he jiggled my head back and forth on my neck as if I were a ragdoll. "Huh? What do you think of it now, yeah?" he growled, pressing his forehead to mine. When I still didn't answer he gripped my jaw and pushed my face to the left, holding up my chin with the same calloused hand. I could feel the color draining from my face as I looked upon all of the bodies laying stiff and disemboweled on the shore. The moving tide washed in and gently swiped their intestines away from them as a new wave of blood came dripping from the mangled corpses. He let go of me and sat cross-legged in the sand, his fingers toying with the gun in his lap and it was all I could stare at when I looked away from the carnage as it hung between his knees. He chuckled with an evil grin, "I asked you a question, you still think my island is beautiful?"

I glanced all around me, at the clear blue waters lapping at the shore and the white beach. All sorts of strange and exotic noises rose elegantly from the canopy in a chorus of songbirds and all I could do was nod. I tried not to think about the cadavers only a few feet away. "Very," I agreed, croaking out my answer.

"What is your name, Chiquita?" he whispered softly into my ear, once again holding my face gently in his rough palms, as if I were a fragile baby bird.

"Sarah," I replied in an equally hushed voice, closing my eyes and hoping everything would just go away and that this was all a dream. The taste of metallic blood on my tongue and the throbbing of my head, however, reminded me that this was no figment of my imagination.

All of the other pirates were calling him "Vaas"; From the way he treated them and the way they responded to his barking voice I could have guessed he was the leader of the bunch, and any question they asked was either met with a crude and snide remark, or an angry snap of harsh words and bitter curses.

The wicked man known as Vaas drew away from me, beaming as he still held onto my face. "Sarah, how beautiful," he grinned. He got to his feet and took me by the arms, standing me up shakily beside him with one arm wrapped around my waist so my shoulders met the center of his chest. "Sarah, you and I are going to become very good friends over the next few weeks. That is, until you die or grow boring and I find myself a new best friend, okay?"

The feeling of his skin touching mine made me squirm, as if a thousand tiny maggots were crawling onto my flesh as he held me and I could feel my body attempting to move away from this repulsive human. I resisted the urge, hoping maybe that if I were on my best behavior I would not get myself in trouble. The maggots writhed against my arms as he drew me in closer and pulled my wrists together behind my back, worming his hands around mine and securing one to the other with a thick nylon rope.

At this point tears were flowing in a steady stream down either side of my face and he spoke softly into my ear, his hot breath hitting my cheek and making my lips tremble. "We gonna take you back to my camp, sweetheart," he whispered softly. He ran his wormy fingers along my jaw line, pushing a strand of wet hair out of my face as goose bumps rose on my skin and I squeezed my eyes shut. "Gonna getchu out of these wet clothes." His voice was like the purring of a cat, soft and rhythmic but it made me nauseous and I could feel bile burning at the back of my throat, threatening to come up at any moment. His fingers went down my spine and tucked beneath the clinging fabric of my blue t-shirt, gliding along the wet skin that lay beneath with a thumb as his lips brushed against my ear. I flinched backward involuntarily and shuddered, gaping at him with terrified eyes as my chest rose and fell with each sporadic breath. It was only an inch or two, but my shoulder rising between his chest and my ear was enough to make the pirate practically snarl. He remained silent for the rest of the walk, guiding me into the jungle with his arm still wrapped around me.


	2. Escort

**TW: Rape, sexual assault, violence, gore**

I tripped several times on the lush foliage that seemed to creep up at my legs; my favorite sandals had fallen off into the ocean when his men began shooting down the boat and I dove into the water to save myself. They were probably tumbling along the bottom of the surf somewhere, the supple and worn leather swelling in the salty water as the pair was separated. My camera, however, had been found by one of Vaas's men when they raided the boat, and I wanted desperately to wrench it from his hands as he tapped foolishly on the look screen and mashed on every button.

The pirate kept knocking the expensive lens against trees or smearing the delicate glass with his sweaty, dirty palm. No doubt he had scratched it and now it was ruined. When he tossed it to Vaas I yelped out in protest but bit my tongue as soon as the sound passed my lips. I trembled with fear as the pirate chuckled. "What's wrong miss photographer? Don't want us to see what's on here?"

"That camera's very expensive," I blurted out before I could stop myself, my voice shaking with every word as I gripped the back of my t-shirt with my hands, white knuckled and desperate.

"I could probably sell this, eh hermano?" Vaas jested as he elbowed one of his lackeys in the ribs. The other masked pirate agreed and then continued walking with a semi-automatic machine gun holstered across his chest.

Vaas kept me close as he scanned through the images, mocking them with a few oohs and aahs, until he found some interesting ones… the fact of the matter was that there were a few nudes on there, mostly models for reference of my drawings, but the man made a fuss about them nonetheless. The worst part was that two or three of them were of me. This was my own personal camera and I did some figure modeling myself, so when my friend Jack had asked me to pose for him I told him to transfer me the images so that I could also put them to use in my own work. "Sarah! You little minx!" Vaas hooted as he stared from me to the camera and back again.

My face flushed with raw color and my head bent toward the ground so I could stare at my toes, not because I was embarrassed but because I was infuriated. This was my camera with my photos on them, photos I had traveled to obtain on a piece of equipment I had spent many years of savings on… and now he was going to sell it to make a quick buck. "Look at the ass on this one," Vass laughed, but it was a wicked and evil laughter that made me sick to my stomach, and again I felt the bile rising up in the back of my mouth. He handed off the camera to someone else, who had responded with hoots and hollers equally as enthusiastic and grotesque as Vaas's had been and I felt a palm firmly cup my bottom as a stranger slapped me and I jumped, drawing a sharp intake of breath and yelping in shock.

When I glanced down again at the moist jungle floor I didn't dare say a word; I eyed Vaas adjusting his growing erection with his hand. The bulge pressing against his pants made me shudder, and as the campsite came more and more into view between the thick jungle trees I knew what was going to happen to me when we got there. Most of the buildings were on stilts and raised off the ground, and I could hear the grunting of a pig and a horrible smell rushed over me as I glanced to my right, which I shouldn't have. The massive hog was feasting on a rotting corpse and I stepped over the rotten mixture coming from the mangled pile of human remains. The blood had coagulated and looked watery and brown, sliding out from beneath the grayish intestines as it trickled past my feet and I could feel the wave of nausea pass over me once more. Only this time I could not keep it down and I wretched, vomiting onto the ground and the wracking of my body brought me to my knees. The contents of my stomach splattered on the ground in front of me, throwing dust up into my face and onto my sticky and red knees. A string of saliva hung from my bottom lip and Vaas grabbed me by the back of my shirt lurching me to my feet; my legs felt weak as the pirate directed me toward the stairs I was to climb.

I stumbled up the steps, unable to catch my fall with my arms tied behind my back and once again he yanked me upright. "Fuck," I cried weakly, tears streaming from my eyes as I sobbed quietly. I lowered my chin to my chest as if to hide from him but he only laughed. We walked over stilted roads that heavy jeeps drove across, carrying at least two or three pirates per car with mini-guns mounted to the back, each one looking even meaner than the last.

"Come then, Sarah," Vaas purred with his lips pressed firmly against the side of my face as his teeth reached out and grazed against my earlobe. He walked me through the camp, past several other bound and gagged prisoners but I tried not to look at their frail and malnourished bodies, nor did I stare too long at the blood streaming from each cut or tear in their skin. A voice in the back of my head whispered that I should be worried. Why was he not putting me with any of the other women prisoners, all of whom were obviously used for sex and nothing more, why was I going with him and only him? It was when the voice spoke to me that I realized all of the other men had wandered off and it was only Vaas and I now. Which made me feel no safer than being surrounded by all of those angry black boots, in the privacy of the shack he was bringing me to he could perform atrocities he might not in front of an audience…

He opened the door as he pushed me inside and again I stumbled, shivering in my wet clothes as my still damp hair clung to my neck and face as I caught my balance. All light was extinguished as the pirate lord locked the heavy red door behind him until he opened a window. A ray of light cast into the hut, just enough to make a few feet in front of me visible. "You are shaking in those wet clothes, huh," he mumbled, lighting a cigarette and gesturing toward me before he walked into the darkness. A crash rang out where the window's light did not reach something metal came clanging to the floor as he screamed out a curse. He came back rubbing the top of his head and mumbling bitterly in Spanish as he handed me a dry towel. "Here." He grunted, holding it at arm's length.

"I can't," I replied. "My hands…" I attempted to explain by straining against the rope, the plastic fibers groaning against one another and Vass laughed. The nylon had rubbed my wrists raw behind my back, and the pink swollen flesh was beginning to bleed beneath the ropes. I could feel it trailing its way down my fingers in thin, hot streams of sticky blood.

"Oh that's right, I forgot!" He unfolded the bloodstained beach towel he had probably gotten off of the body of some unfortunate tourist and shook it out before walking over to me. He told me to step over my hands so that my arms now swung in front of my body instead of behind my back. Tucking the towel beneath his bicep he took out a combat knife. For a hopeful instant I was thinking he would free my hands but I was terribly wrong. Instead he brought the blade to the bottom hem of my shirt and began cutting upward until he reached the neck. As the fabric tore away, the white flesh of my body was exposed; glowing in the light of the window and the slightest hint of my sports bra peeked from beneath the tee.

When the shirt had been cut free he tossed it somewhere behind him and hooked one foot behind my ankle and swiping my legs out from underneath me as he dropped to his knees, sending me falling to the ground with a hard thud. I grunted and pushed away from him, attempting to scramble a few feet away before he grabbed me by the leg and dragged me back toward him. Even as I struggled to free myself from him, in one swift motion as if I weighed nothing at all, the pirate flipped me over so my ass was high in the air. Gripping the hem of my denim shorts he pulled them down and exposed my bare bottom, yanking them down to the middle of my thighs and again I groped at the ground, digging my fingernails into the wood floor and screaming. It was then that I felt cold metal on the back of my head and instantly I knew it was a pistol. "Shut the fuck up!" He yelled at me, leaning over my shoulder and barked into my ear. I stopped screaming.

I could hear him unzip his fly and he grazed his fingers from the base of my spine to the back of my neck before gripping me by the hips and pulling me closer to him. "I'm gonna fuck you, baby." He snickered in my ear as he leaned across my body. Never in my life had I heard something so evil. It used to be porn like this got me off, harsh words and rough hands, but now it was real. Instead of a buxom blonde with fake tits and five inch heels getting railed by some spray-tanned porn star it was my body that was about to be violated. I didn't have the option to slam my laptop shut when I heard footsteps down the hallway, there was no safe word and this was no game, the only thing I could do was squeeze my eyes shut and hope it would be over quickly. "You're gonna like it, too."


	3. Destruction

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER FEATURES A VERY GRAPHIC RAPE SCENE**

That was my only warning before he entered me, sheathing himself inside of my body with one quick thrust of his hips. I was in no way prepared for this and I cried out, grinding my teeth and doing my best to distract myself from what was currently being done to me. I studied the cracks in the wall and the nails in the wood, biting down on the inside of my mouth until I drew blood. Hands pushed my sports bra up over my breasts and pulled roughly at my nipples, and teeth dug into the top of my shoulder enough that I shrieked and cried, watching as more of my blood slid down from my shoulder and pooled on the floor beside my elbow. He had fucking bit me. The son of a bitch bit me like a fucking animal. I screamed louder, the sound vibrating through me as it passed my lips and made my throat burn, wriggling and pushing off the ground I tried desperately to escape but it was no use. "Shut the fuck up!" he grunted, rocking into me and pressing the gun to the back of my head again. "Be quiet," he breathed, one hand on my hip and the other pointing the pistol at my head.

I bit my lip hard as I was violated, attempting to focus on the pain of that and my now bloody left shoulder and not the monster. I bent my head to rest upon my forearms and between my hanging breasts I could see his legs. He hadn't even bothered to pull down his pants, just unzipped the fly and wrenched his dick out before burying it inside of me. The speed and ferocity increased and quite a few times I had to be readjusted; my arms and face scraped against the ground, smearing my cheek in my own blood from my shoulder.

I could feel the side of my head begin to bruise as it bobbled up and down like a lifeless doll, soft whimpers and sobs erupting from my lips. I saw it all happen. I watched from a corner as it happened and was helpless. There I was with a red stain on my skin and broken fingernails from struggling. Even as it happened the gun never left the back of my head, scraping my scalp with the bite of cold metal. I could do nothing; only stare from outside of my own body.

It felt as though hours had passed, and still his face was buried in my neck and hands grabbed hungrily at each part of my body. Sweat that was not mine dripped onto my back between my shoulder blades and went sliding down either side of my abdomen. I could hear harsh grunts of pleasure and soft mewls of pain. Eventually my body seemed to give up on me. As much as I wanted to fight this I could not lest I be killed, and so my arms hung limply at my side and my neck no longer seemed able to support my head. I was numb. I could not feel the rawness of my face and arms, the throbbing pain of the bite wound in my shoulder, the black and purple bruises that now surrounded my left eye nor the wooden floor splintering beneath my fingers. I was nothing but an empty shell. He pushed me over and I fell as limply as a tablecloth, crumpling on the ground in a heap. I glanced up at the open window. It was still light outside.

His breathing was heavy and he stood up; I could hear him fixing his pants as he loomed over me and I looked up at him with dead eyes as he grinned. "How was it for you?" he asked, pushing his fingers through his Mohawk.

He laughed and came closer, wrenching my denim shorts off and the cotton panties that lay beneath it then did the same to my bra. I flinched every time he touched me. "Sit. Still." Vaas growled. I did as I was told. He tied me to a metal hook in the wall with a ziptie before sawing off the ropes that held my wrists together. My left arm was free but the right was fixed snugly in place with the plastic cuff.

Beneath me was the same hardwood floor and I collapsed on it, curling tightly against the wall as I heard him walk away. I thought maybe he was gone for good until he returned from the dark area of the shack with a heavy wool blanket. "Here you go," he said, laying it gingerly on top of me. "I don't want you to catch a cold." Vaas dragged his finger across my cheek as he hooked a piece of hair out of my face and grinned, sticking his tongue out between his teeth. Then he went to the exit without another word, stepped outside and closed the heavy metal door behind him.

I tried to bring myself to sleep, tried to close my eyes and cease my weeping but I simply couldn't. All night I lay awake in the small shack and all night I felt tears fall from my eyes. It puckered and dried out my skin, leaving me feeling chapped as my eyes burned. A few hours passed and I still had no idea what I was going to do. I was hooked to the wall by my right hand and I thought to myself that maybe I should pull a 127 Hours and just cut it off. But I had no sharp tools, and even if I managed to gnaw my own arm free, what was I going to do after? I wouldn't get out of the camp alive let alone survive in the jungle.

Then I pondered suicide, strangulation or suffocation ought to do it… but I pushed away the thought. If I was going to die I was going to die fighting, not wallowing in self-pity and taking my own life; it was at that moment I decided that I would live through this no matter what.


	4. Sink

**This chapter is going to be a bit slow but I promise things will speed up soon enough! As much as I would love to skip over this and head straight to the fun stuff, we first must experience Sarah's emotional and personal transition from terrified captive to loyal pet, and beyond. I'm sure you would all like to get to the juicy business as much as I would, but that wouldn't make for a well written fic, and thats not what I'm about.**

**But seriously, the good stuff is coming, I promise! Just be patient my lovelies!**

Early in the morning I had ceased my crying, but I could feel the burning in my eyes and knew they were still red with the tears I had shed all through the night. The door was kicked open and I practically jumped out of my skin as Vaas came waltzing through. "Surprise!" He smiled, pistol in hand. "Did you miss me?"

I stared at him without a word, hate bubbling just below the surface as my eyes locked on him. My shoulder still throbbed from where he had bitten me last night and my hand found the swollen and scabbed red tissue and prodded at it gently, looking away from him and at the ground. "I got you a present!" Vaas said with a grin. "Some clothes: your old shorts because they're dry now, and a new shirt!" He held the clothes out to me, bending over and resting his elbow on his knee as the other stretched in front to give me the clothing. I was silent, just looked past him, to the door that still hung ajar he'd forgotten to close and bringing the blanket closer to my chest. "Do you want your fucking present?" He asked, growing impatient with me as his lips pressed together with disappointment.

"Thanks," I said in a soft monotone, taking the clothes from him. My shorts were dry, so I shimmied awkwardly into them using only my left hand and then pulling the red wife-beater over my head in an equally awkward fashion. Only I couldn't get it over my arm that was attached to the wall.

"I almost forgot," he laughed, reaching over me to unlock the cuffs and slip my arm through the hole before quickly re-clasping my wrist. I watched as he put away the key, taking a mental note of where it was stored as he slipped it into his back pocket. "We will have to think of a more efficient way of keeping you here. I don't want to have to un-cuff you every time I feel like having a bit of fun," he mumbled, pushing a lock of hair off my face. The wife-beater he had given me had obviously been worn quite a few times, and it smelled of sweat and salt water as it hung loosely from my body. I crinkled my nose at the odd perfume of pirate and Vaas must have noticed my distaste. "That used to be mine, you know."

Truly this man was a twisted sort of genius. He was messing with me on every level, physically, emotionally, and now mentally. The shirt would now be a constant reminder of him and what he'd done to me, and I couldn't get it off now. It wasn't enough that he had violated my body and I would bare those scars for the rest of my life, but now every time I looked down or caught the scent of the garment I would think of him. "Thanks," I snarled. Only these words were not true gratitude, no: this 'thanks' meant something deeper than that. It was a promise that somehow, some way I was going to get him back for this; that he would pay for destroying me and rocking the very foundation of my being.

"You are welcome," he smiled with pride.

My head pounded and ached and I pressed my fingertips gently to the right side of my face, which was swollen and bruised. The skin was bloated all around my eye, and even the slightest contact to it sent a pain so sharp it seemed to connect directly with my brain.

I began feeling anger and hatred rise up inside me rapidly, pushing out on my body as if I would explode at any second. He was so horrifying, so grotesque and evil and I hated him with every fiber of my being; every second I spent around this monster made me angrier and angrier until finally I snapped and I could not stop myself from letting the floodgates open.

"You're a monster," I whispered just loud enough so he could hear me, visibly shaking as I clenched my fists. I dug my fingernails into my palms in an attempt to distract myself from my anger, creating crescent shaped bruises all along the center of my hand.

"A monster?" Vaas's teeth clenched and he narrowed his dark eyes at me, a smile budding at the corners of his mouth. He seemed surprised, if not amused, at my first attempt to be brave since I arrived on the island. "A monster." He chuckled, an evil cackle erupting from his mouth. However, his smile faded almost as quickly as it had come, and he pulled the pistol from its holster behind his back. He pressed the mouth of the gun against my forehead and I could practically feel my heart stop at that exact moment. "Why don't you tell me what you really think?" He challenged. "Huh? I asked you a fucking question, chica, you gunna answer me?"

I fell silent, sweat beading above my brow where the cold metal met my skin and my lips trembled. "You gunna fucking answer me?" He screamed, getting only a few inches from my face.

I was completely stiff, my muscles tensed in tight coils as I mentally screamed. There was no more brave hatred or harsh words, only horror and an instinct to recoil from this wicked predator.

"Oh God, I… I'm sorry," I whispered, tears welling in my eyes as I realized what I had just done.

"What was that?" He barked, pressing the gun harder against my head.

"I didn't mean it!" I cried out a bit louder, my voice cracking as my face heated in frustration. I was emotionally breaking, splitting and popping at every seam I never even thought existed. Fear stirred like an angry animal in my stomach, biting and clawing at my insides until I was hollow with nothing but the bitter taste of terror to fill me.

He pulled the gun away from my forehead and cocked it, "Get on your knees."

I obeyed, stepping down and kneeling on the floor as I avoided looking at him, my sore neck aching as I stared at my hands in my lap. "Now you suck my fucking dick, sweetheart." He caressed the side of my face with the pistol and I shivered, closing my eyes.

"Vaas, please," I begged, my entire body shaking. "Please, no. Please."

The pirate's jaw clenched and I watched his Adam's apple bob in his throat as he swallowed. "Shut the fuck up."

"Please," I said again, sobs shaking my entire body.

"Shut the fuck up!" he yelled, his voice rising to a frightening level.

I flinched away from him and he gripped my hair by the root, wrenching my head back so I was looking up at him from the floor. "Don't say another word, chica, or I will have to cut your tongue out of your mouth. You understand me?"

I nodded frantically, tears spilling down my face.

"Now get to work," he grunted, pulling out a box of cigarettes and placing one between his lips. Again I did as I was told and unclasped the button of his pants.

I didn't want to. I didn't want to. I didn't want to.

My fingers were stiff and could barely move, held still by my own fear; they were frozen even as every part of my body screamed for them to work. They simply refused. As soon as I had gotten the fly down and was beginning to tug at the belt loops the heavy red door swung open. A pirate entered, one of the men Vaas bossed around frequently from what I had seen.

"Vaas!" He yelled, opening the door. Vaas's head spun to look over his shoulder and by his tone of voice he sounded displeased. Never had I been so happy to see another pirate in my entire life. I wanted to jump up and scream but I didn't, I just went back to inspecting my hands and holding down the urge to cry.

"What? Can't you see I'm fucking busy?" He asked.

"Another camp has just been taken by those damn rebels, they're making their way east from Amanarki Village and there's a chance we could stop them if we intercept the path," the pirate explained, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Fuck me," Vaas groaned, rubbing his face tiredly with the hand that was pistol-free. "We will continue this later," he mumbled, releasing his fistful of my hair and patting me on the cheek, the same kind of full-palmed pat that one would give a dog.

I watched him go and as soon as he had shut the door behind him I collapsed, tears burning in my eyes as my heart tried to regain its proper pace. My breathing was becoming erratic as I slumped over my knees, dry heaving onto the ground and hyperventilating. No matter how much air I drew into my body I still felt like I was drowning, my lungs were full and I couldn't take in another breath but still I gasped desperately as panic flooded into me.

A wave of nausea passed over me, and the dizzying mist at the back of my brain spread throughout my skull as lightheadedness flooded me. Panic still screamed inside of me but no matter what I did I was incapable of making any noise or moving from my fetal position. Fear had a tight grip on me and it was impossible to break, my muscles tightened into knots and coils and I felt like I was falling through the floor. There was nothing but quicksand beneath me. I was going to die.


	5. Blue Jugs with the White Spigots

A few hours past, and from the sounds seeping in from the jungle outside and the lack of light shining underneath the red door I could tell it was nighttime. I sat huddled in the corner of the shack, resting my head on my knees and pressing my fingers to my shoulder. Pain screamed through my arm as I peeled back the loose skin with split fingernails, staring blankly ahead of me in the darkness as I rhythmically dragged my fingertips over the swollen flesh. I allowed my hand to find the pattern of his bite mark, the small divots of the wound where his teeth had been, reopening each small opening until hot blood rand down my arm.

Finally the door was pushed open and Vaas entered with a heavy sigh, practically having to drag himself across the floor as he kicked off his boots, one after another. I felt myself shutter as I slowly quaked to life and groaned at the stiffness in my joints. How long had I been sitting there picking at my shoulder? I glanced in horror down at my hand, dried blood caked beneath my nails. Finally I got a fix on the pirate lord angrily walking about the shed; even though exhaustion was carved into his face he still paced like an angry jungle cat across the floor.

"I don't get it, chica, I just don't get it," he grumbled.

"What?" I ventured nervously, assuming he had expected and answer since he had addressed me directly.

"This kid, this fucking _child_, is overtaking my camps one by one. Taking drug recipes and gun supplies and fucking- everything!" He screamed, sweeping his arms across a table that had several empty or half-empty bottles of alcohol on it. They went crashing to the ground, shattering on impact and even the sight of the liquid darkening the floor made me yearn for something to quench my thirst.

"Okay," I said quietly, watching him continue to pace around the broken glass. "Vaas?" I whispered after a few quiet minutes.

"What."

"May I please have some water?" I asked stiffly, nerves creeping into my voice and making it shaky.

"Water?" He asked, cocking a brow as he took a canteen off his hip. I nodded frantically, gazing at the container with longing as the water lapped around inside. He mock-threw it at me and laughed when I raised my hand to catch it, chuckling as he brought the bottle to his own mouth. I could feel my face fall and a heated headache swarmed in my brain as I watched him take for himself what I so desperately needed. After a few full gulps he lowered the lip of the canteen from his mouth and wiped his face with the back of his wrist, staring at me with a gleam in his eye. 'You bastard.' I thought bitterly to myself, fatigue making my entire body cramp and quake.

He seemed to change his mind for a moment, and Vaas came toward me with the same predatory gate he always walked with, leaning over me after filling his mouth with more water. He then grabbed my face with one hand, his calloused fingers agitating my dry, raw skin as he brought my mouth to his.

Water flooded in from between his lips and I opened my mouth to catch the life-saving mixture of body-temperature liquid and his saliva, gulping it down gratefully and licking my lips to make sure I had gotten every drop. He laughed, a drop of water beading at his bottom lip as his face hovered a few inches above me and I almost licked it off his mouth before he stood up and withdrew. Still chuckling, he wiped his face with the back of his hand, staring at me over his forearm.

"Here," he mumbled, screwing the cap on the canteen and tossing it to me. I clumsily fumbled the catch and bounced the container between my hands a few times before I finally got a stiff grip on it.

I practically made myself sick on the stuff, drinking greedily until I could feel it sloshing around in my stomach with every movement. I had to catch my breath between sips until finally I had finished the canteen completely, shaking the empty container fruitlessly when the water had finally all gone.

I looked up from my hands to see him watching me, looking down his nose at me. Dirt smeared face and blood stained skin. When my eyes met his I instantly recoiled, looking away from him in shame as I my long hair fell like a curtain in front of my face. The look he gave me was the same look a man gives a whining child; it wasn't as if he pitied me but more like he was a little disgusted with how poorly I was handling my situation. I was supposed to be fighting with every breath but instead I had receded into myself in order to keep away from him. Because he terrified me.

The floor shook slightly with his heavy footsteps as he came toward me and I found myself scurrying closer to the wall behind me. I pressed myself up against it and buried my head in the corner, not realizing what I was doing until it was already done. This reaction was not something thought out or planned. This was my natural reflex now: to cower and whimper whenever he approached me. He pressed a hand to my right shoulder and I flinched as he pulled me away from the corner.

At that moment I glanced upward to see a serrated bowie knife gripped tight in his hand. Horror filled me and I froze, eye fixated on the blade as he lowered it to me. I squeezed my eyelids shut and gritted my teeth as I prepared for the worst. But the worst did not come. Sweet relief washed through me when I looked down to see he had used the serrated edge to cut away the plastic zip-tie that had me hooked to the wall.

He tossed the tie aside and stood up, holstering his knife and looking down at me like a wild dog at its next meal. "Get up." Vaas ordered. My muscles were frozen and I couldn't bring myself to stand. Every part of my brain was telling me to follow orders but I simply couldn't. "Get. Up." He hissed again between clenched teeth, anger filling his words; that time I did as I was told, fear propelling me upward.

Still I could not truly face him, and I edged away from his body nervously, tilting my hips forward and bending at my lower back. Sweat beaded at my brow and I bit the inside of my cheek nervously, chewing on the soft flesh until I drew blood. Anything to keep from falling back to the floor in tears and earning myself punishment.

"We are going outside…" he began, loading a pistol in front of me as he continued a long winded speech that went sliding into one ear and dribbling meaninglessly out of the other.

Outside.

We were going outside.

Tears came to my eyes in a rush of joy as I stared blankly past him and at the exit. Moonlight pooled underneath the heavy red door, shining beneath it like liquid silver as my eyes locked on the white beam. Only the slightest crack meant so much to me now, having been trapped in here for what felt like an eternity even the smallest hint at leaving this cabin made my mouth water and my knees shake. In the midst of my daydreaming, though, Vaas barked angrily at me.

"Chica! Hello! Did you not hear anything I just said?" He snapped, hitting my on the forehead with the mouth of his handgun to get my attention.

"Oh, I n-no," I stammered nervously, color creeping into my face.

He clenched his jaw in frustration and I watched the muscles in his face flex beneath the skin. "We are going outside, but you had better not run. You stay with me and only me. If I see you going toward anyone else, even looking at any of the other men, I will shoot you dead. Do you understand me?"

I nodded frantically. "Good. Now come." He turned around and pushed against the red door, a creaking and groaning sound making me smile privately to myself as I stepped into the fresh jungle air.

It surrounded me like a hot bath, moonlight blinding me for only a few seconds as I took time to adjust from the confines of the dark shed. Vaas pushed past me and walked down the stairs with the swagger and grace of a fierce hunter, glancing over his shoulder and whistling loudly between his teeth.

"Hey! Sarah! Come!" he ordered, pointing at the ground in front of him with a finger. Quickly I did as I was told, walking over to him as he lead me through the camp. All around me were other pirates and in order to keep Vaas happy, I walked with my head down, not looking at any of them as they passed. But I could feel their eyes on me. I knew they tore hungrily at my body and undressed me in their minds, and to prevent this I scurried over to walk closer to Vaas. Maybe if they knew I belonged to him they would be less likely to stare. He was their leader after all, nobody took what belonged to Vaas, and through inductive reasoning I was able to infer that, as his property, I should fall into that category as well.

A sick sort of comfort was found in being so close to him. Although I still feared him down to my very core he was familiar, a totem in this strange new place for me to hang on to. I trailed only an inch or so behind him, rubbing my swollen flesh tenderly and rotating my hand to keep from the ache of joint stiffness. I smiled slightly, glancing from the raw pink inflimation that made a clear ring around my wrist and then to the side of his dark face. He hadn't bound my hands. How nice of him.

I wasn't sure where it was we were going until he pointing out a line up of blue containers mounted on stilts with a white spigot on the each of their front faces. "Since you drank all my water, you can go fill it up." He said, pressing the empty canteen to my chest. "Don't fuck up and maybe you'll actually get to tonight." He chuckled, laughter filling his words as if he were telling a ridiculous and unbelievable joke. "I will be standing-" he grabbed me by the arm and spun me, pointing out a small group of men leaning over a table not twenty feet away. "-Right over there. Watching you. So don't even think about trying to run off." I nodded submissively, white knuckle gripping the canteen in my hands as he ordered my off with a small pat on my neck.

I managed to fix myself on the water jugs, walking in a straight line towards them and not looking anywhere else. Vaas was watching me, and he had told me not to look at the other pirates, and so I didn't look anywhere, just at the blue jugs with the white spigots. The blue jugs with the white spigots were only a few feet away, sitting in the shadow of another building. My bare feet kicked up dust and for a moment I glanced away from the blue jugs with the white spigots to see an empty buck shot shell had been caught between by biggest and adjacent toe. I kicked it away, raising my head again to stare once again at the blue jugs with the white spigots and concentrating entirely on getting there with the canteen in my hands. The blue jugs with the white spigots were only inched from me and I unscrewed the empty canteen, bringing my hand up to the nozzle and twisting it open. Water poured from the mouth of the spigot and I held the canteen steady, making sure I didn't spill a drop.

I was almost done when I felt a firm palm on my buttocks, causing me to jump slightly and send the canteen flying from my hands and into the dust. It clattered to the ground and rolled a few inches away, throwing the water I had just collected into the dirt. I spun fast enough that my long dark hair caught on my face, attempting to get a good look at my assailant. He was one of the other pirates, winking at me and making kissing noises beneath the bandana that covered his face as he passed. My cheeks flooded with heat that crept into my ears and I turned back to pick up the canteen, hands nervously shaking as I squatted on the ground. The lip of the canteen was covered in reddish brown mud and I sighed, picking it off with my fingers and shaking my head in frustration.

It was then, as I still leaned over the patch of mud where the water had spilled and the empty canteen, that several loud cracks and pops shot through the hot jungle air. Red dots sprayed across the ground and I gasped. Was that my blood? Had I been shot? My knees cracked as I quickly stood up, looking at the body of the man that lay lifelessly on the ground about three feet away. The same one who had slapped me. I gasped with horror and followed where the sound of the gunshot had come from with my eyes.

Vaas stood with the moon at his back, creating a bright halo around his body as he posed silhouetted against the night sky. He was furious, his dark eyebrows arching harshly over his eyes in a contorted mask of rage. His finger still slammed over the trigger even with the chamber of the gun empty, making no sound but a harmless 'click'. Panic filled me as I turned back to the jugs and tried to fill the canteen again, my hands shaking as I opened the nozzle for the second time.

My head hung low between my shoulders, as if I could hide from his anger as he came marching over. He grabbed my arm just above my elbow tightly and spun me around to face him, his nose almost touching mine. "Did you fucking say something to him?" He growled under his breath.

It was a sound so deep and full of rage that somehow this near-whisper was worse than if he had screamed at me. "No! I didn't I swear!" I insisted, he threw down my arm and pointed his finger at me with that same hand. He searched my face for a long time before stepping back slightly, letting the empty magazine fall to the dust as he reloaded the gun wordlessly. "Vaas why… why did you have to kill him?" I whispered with cautious intrigue.

"Nobody gets to touch my things," he answered calmly, his accent making the simple sentence ebb and flow like the ocean. "Especially you. You're mine." And with that he walked off, heading back over to the men surrounding the table; all of whom were looking down at their hands as if to pretend that hadn't seen a single thing.

A part of me found his claim on me rather endearing, while the other part of me was horrified and disgusted at the notion of being owned by anyone. I took his leave as a sign to attempt a refill on the canteen, and this time I did so with confidence. Nobody would be touching me who had seen that display. I screwed on the canteen lid and glanced over at the dead pirate, whose body was now being stripped of all valuables by his former comrades. I was told it was going to end up feeding the tiger. I personally didn't even know we had a tiger. I should like to see that sometime.


	6. Branded

**TW: violence**

**thanks everyone so much for the support ive been getting in reviews and otherwise, your input means a lot to me! i want to do you proud with my interpretation of Vaas and so far i seem to be doing an llright job by all of you so thank you so much! keep the comments coming and i will keep pumping out chapters as fast as i can!**

**enjoy!~**

As I waited for Vaas to tell me what to do next, I patiently stood resting against a tall metal pole with a light fixed at the top, a massive white floodlight that cast artificial color onto the ground. It hummed in the humid air and small gnats and large moths alike swarmed in a thick ball around it. I watched Vaas from afar, my eyes fixating on him, the only familiar thing in this place; the only thing that somehow made me feel like I wasn't completely and totally alone.

I picked at my fingers, tugging on the scabs on my knuckles and peeling them from the skin. There was a small dot of pink beneath each one, which would all form scars not long from now, little white specs that would sprinkle across my joints. I held them out and admired them at an arms length as one would admire a new manicure. How interesting they looked, tiny imperfection along an otherwise flawless landscape.

I focused beyond my fingers as I saw the pirate lord walking toward me, and my attention went straight for Vaas's face as soon as he approached. He walked wordlessly past me, muttering something under his breath in Spanish. Where was he raised, I wonder, that he would speak the language natively. I followed, this time without needing to be called, and clutched the now filled canteen close to my chest. When I saw where we were headed my footsteps slowed and Vaas glanced over his shoulder at me.

I didn't want to go back into the shed. Truly I didn't. It was dark and horrible and smelled of alcohol and stale air and I didn't want to go back. "Please don't make me go back," I hiccupped after coming to a complete stop, desperation climbing into my voice.

"Where else am I supposed to keep you, huh?" Vaas challenged, dark eyebrows knitting together in anger. "Now come over here and stop being an ungrateful brat." This time his voice was more demanding and I did what I was told, hanging my head and lifting one foot after the other as was asked of me. I could tell he was not in the best mood, and I didn't want to make him even angrier by defying him further, so I sucked it up and listened to his commands obediently.

When I got inside I was expecting him to leave but he didn't. He closed the door behind him and a light flickered on behind me as I made my way to the blanketed corner I had taken up as my bed. I turned slowly at the sound of buzzing electricity, and saw Vaas's powerful silhouette standing before me. He stared at me for a long time, eyes locked on me as I remained motionless in the center of the room. Broken glass from his tantrum still crunched beneath his boots and I could feel it slicing into the soft pads of my bare feet.

"Vaas?" I stammered, the all-too familiar feeling of terror creeping into my body, heat traveling up my neck and stirring in my stomach like a frantic animal. He looked over my face and I could hear his teeth grinding as his jaw shifted back and forth. "A-are you alright?"

He reached his hand out toward me then, his rough palm cupping my face as his fingers slipped into the dark curtain of my long hair. Thumbs grazing the apples of my cheeks he stood there in absolute silence, his lips barely parting for more than a second before closing them again. His eyes were locked on mine, and he held my gaze in the most intense of manners, he seemed to be focusing on me and his eyes narrowed as he strained to look even harder at my face. I wasn't sure what to make of any of this, all I knew was that it was more frightening than anything I had ever seen in my life but it still sent warm shivers through my body. We remained like that for a long time, before his hands slipped down my neck and one went to my chin, gripping the bottom of my face between his thumb and forefinger. He looked so tired, and his arms swung heavily to his sides when he finally let go of me.

Without a sound he turned away and walked out the door. I could hear the tumblers roll inside and knew he had locked it but he had left me unrestrained with an easily accessible window. What was he thinking? I pursed my lips. How odd.

I found myself gravitating toward the corner, curling up in the brown wool blanket and closing my eyes. My entire body seemed to throb and pulse with the day's activities, and it wasn't until I had found myself a comfortable position that I realized how exhausted I really was. I found my body almost caving in on itself, as if my bones no longer kept me upright, and fell dreamlessly into sleep almost immediately.

The next morning I was awoken rather rudely by the sound of Vaas yelling loudly into the small room. "Good morning!" He howled, throwing his arms open as he entered, sunlight washing in behind him. I sat upright rather quickly and as the blood rushed from my head I felt a dizzying sensation flood my brain.

I hoped he would mention the moment we shared the night before but he acted as if it never happened, which didn't surprise me. He wasn't one to show vulnerability. "I had an idea, Chiquita. A brilliant idea. I swear I'm a fucking genius." He grinned, squatting in front of me. "I remember, I was thinking, about your little outburst last night, wasting my water. You know, deep inland like this fresh water is so valuable, and we cant afford to just throw around, especially not when I asked you so nicely to fill my canteen. So I came up with a plan, you see!" I had been fixated on his face but soon I saw his arm moving as he pulled something out from behind his back.

My otherwise serene facial expression dropped as soon as I realized what it was he was holding. A knife, a serrated hunting knife that was about the length of my forearm, which he clutched white-knuckled in his hand. He must have seen my face fall, which made a smile pull up at either corner of his mouth. "No, no no I'm not going to kill you, chica. I am going to help you," he explained, his voice bouncing with laughter.

Still, I felt uneasy, and my eyes would not leave the knife no matter how hard I tried to keep them on his face. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" he chided. "Since you don't believe me, I will just have to show you."

Then, he manipulated my body so quickly I felt dizzy upon stopping, finding myself on my back with a heavy pressure on my waist. I coughed beneath the weight until it occurred to me what it was. Vaas was straddling my body, his knees on either side of me on the floor. He pushed the red wife beater he had given me up and over my torso so it was bunched beneath my chin at my neck; I squirmed uncomfortably, my breath quickening and I was reminded of the first night I spent here as my feet kicked and I tried to twist my way out from under him.

"Stop. Moving," he told me, getting about two inches above me face and scolding harshly. I obeyed. I could feel his rough and calloused palm wash over my collarbone, on the area just above my breasts. Then, I felt a horrible pain and I screamed, curling my toes and slamming my heels against the floor. It was sharp and biting, slicing through my skin and I could feel blood dripping down either side of my torso. Tears came to my eyes in seconds and my hands found the Vaas's broad and muscular back to dig my nails into, raking them down either side as I sobbed beneath him. Biting my tongue and clenching my eyes shut, it took every bit of sense in my body not to try to get away from him.

As much as I wanted to push this man off of me I knew I had to trust him. He said he was going to help me, and he wasn't going to kill me so I figured it was best for the both of us if I just took what was given to me. Hours seamed to pass, and when Vaas finally sat up from hunching over my chest he beamed with pride. "Very well done, Vaas," he said to himself, nodding in approval at his labor. He leaned down to plant a kiss on whatever it is he had done to me, and screaming pain shot through me as soon as he made contact with my skin.

I whimpered and mewled uncomfortably beneath him, my sobs knotting in my throat as I tried to catch my breath. He finally got up and off of me, tugging my shirt back over my stomach and standing over me. I wiped my nose with the back of my hand and dragged my fingers beneath my eyes, sitting up and wincing at the discomfort that now plagued my chest. "Listen, you may hate it at first, but this will save you in the long run, now everyone will know that you are _mine_. You will never be touched by anyone but me ever again," he said, patting me open-palmed on the side of my face. He re-holstered the knife and turned away from me, opening the door and clearing his throat. "I will be back later." And with that he was gone.

As soon as the door shut I scrambled to my feet and turned on the light bulb with the tug of a string, and it slowly flickered to life. Over on the left side of the shed there were a few backpacks, probably meant for storage or were just surplus, and I began rummaging through them, searching for something reflective so I could see what was now on my body. Unzipping one bag after another I finally came upon something I was more than familiar with: a cosmetics case.

"Yes," I hissed under my breath in subdued victory, my heart racing as I searched for anything with a mirror on it. I managed to get my hands on a compact blush, and flipped open the top only to see the mirror was cracked. It would have to do. I backed up and stood beneath the light again, holding up the mirror and angling it so I could see what he had written.

It was too gory to be able to tell, blood smeared across my skin and dripped down my chest to the point where it distorted the image, and the broken mirror wasn't helping. I had to find something to wash it off. There was about a shot left of vodka in a bottle on the table and I grabbed it, staring at it in my hands as I deliberated the thought for a long time. "It's alcohol; alcohol is sterile, isn't it?" I mumbled, turning the glass a few times in my hand an inspecting the label. Grasping the bottle by the neck I sloshed the liquid around in front of my face. Suddenly a chuckle bubbled from my lips and I cocked a brow. "I'm sure I've been through worse."

I carefully poured the clear alcohol into my hands and dabbed it to my chest, stinging pain twisting outward from my nerves like needles in my blood. I lost sight of the objective for a moment as I was stiffened by pain, until I could control my hands once more. Fighting through the searing burn of the alcohol and my still loose and bleeding skin I managed to rub most of it off, each time more fiercely as I cupped my bloodstained hand and poured the rest of the Vodka into it. Finally the bottle was empty and I help up the cracked compact mirror, gasping and falling to my knees at the sight of my chest.

There, crudely sliced into my chest just below my collarbone, was the word "VAAS". The cuts were gnarled and jagged, and wide enough that I could see the muscle moving beneath the skin. The tiny triangles inside of the A's were barely connected to me anymore, and the skin could be easily shifted in a circular motion without much resistance, though plenty of pain. I felt nauseous looking at the swelling skin and tiny dots of blood that began beading on each letter.

I dropped the compact mirror and fell backward in defeat, casting a hand over my eyes and openly sobbing. The water that fell from my eyes dripped over my cheekbones and into my ears as I lay on my back, surrendering to this awful place. Why would he do such a thing? Why? When he had said he would help me? When he had been acting so kind? It was in the middle of my questions that I found myself seeing the logic in what he had done.

My eyes snapped open and my hand fell to rest on my stomach. It was so obvious, how stupid of me. Last night Vaas was able to keep me out of harm's way from other pirates by displaying his dominance over them, i.e. killing the one that had touched me. With this new "brand" of sorts that I now sported on my chest, he wouldn't have to always be around to keep me safe from his men. One look at the letters on my chest and they would go running.

I sat up and dried my eyes, shaking my head with laughter. How foolish of me to be so upset, it's not like I was dead or anything. I caught my breath and steadied my nerves, giggling to myself at how silly I was being as I stood up on my feet again. Obviously this was for my own good, Vaas didn't want me getting into trouble with other pirates, so he had to make sure they knew I belonged to him. The tactic itself was barbaric and disgusting, but somehow it all made sense to me. It was to keep me safe.


	7. Risk

**sweet dang, guys. where have i been, i know. to be honest i had a lot of trouble writing this chapter and it took a lot longer to break through that hesitation than i had thought, and for that im sorry. but the chapter is up now! And dont worry, now we are getting really close to the good stuff, i promise ;)**

**i will hopefully update sortly after this, maybe tomorrow or the day after, i wouldnt want to keep you guys waiting for too long or youll lose interest.**

**enjoy!~**

It wasn't long after Vaas had left that it came to my attention that the door was unlocked, the window was open, and I was completely unrestrained. Was this some kind of test of loyalty? A way to figure out whether or not I would run from him? I chewed on the inside of my cheek when I rumbling sound echoed through my body. I felt so hollow and weak, I needed food. I hadn't eaten for three days… four? Was it four days? No three. Three. I was sure of it.

I cautiously went to the window and leaned my head out, turning this way and that to get a look at my surroundings. It seemed to be nothing but jungle as far as I could see, what with the shed being up on a slope I was met with the canopy of the trees growing down below, and I bent at the waist to get a good look at the jungle floor. It really was quite lovely. Lush greenery and beautiful flowers sprouting up from the ground. How I ached to explore them further, to get away from the camp if only for a few hours and be adventurous. There was a sound coming from behind my and I jumped a bit in surprise, knocking my head against the window cover, causing it to close on top of me.

I fumbled to get it off of my shoulders, awkwardly shimmying downward so that it rested on the back of my neck before I was able to push it up off of me. When I had spun to find the source of the noise that had caused me to jump, the dizziness of hunger made my head spin, and thick nausea overcame me in a warm wave. My vision clouded and I could feel blood rushing from my head, a sure sign of a low fluid intake. "Ohshit," I groaned, the exclamation melting together to become a single world as it poured lazily from my mouth. My chest was still throbbing, and the blood moving so quickly in my body made it pulse with pain. "Vaas?" I guessed, squinting as my vision cleared.

I could hear his laughter softly escape his lips and the heavy thud of his boots as he walked toward me. He seemed entertained by my clumsiness, if not slightly amused. The same amusement that would come from watching a kitten struggle to catch a ball of feathers at the end of a string.

He stood there in silence and I awkwardly shifted my weight from one foot to the other, fiddling with my hands at my waist and tapping my teeth together. I cleared my throat, groping for the wall behind me to keep from swaying off balance.

"Nice view," I commented, pushing some of the dark and knotted hair out of my face. My stomach growled and hunger pains gripped me like a knife. I had never been so hungry as long as I had been alive, and it seemed to pull at my intestines with sharp and angry claws.

"I think its time I let you eat, eh?" he asked, running his hands over his freshly shaved Mohawk. A part of me wondered how he cut so close and didn't nick himself with the blade, and his skin gleaming softly beneath the light.

"Please," was the only word I could muster, too numbed by the hunger in me to come up with a snarky reply.

"I thought so," he sighed, turning and gesturing for the door. "Come. I don't want you dying just yet."

I zealously embraced my new markings as we stepped outside, tugging the red wife beater a bit lower around my neck and pushing back my hair to show them off. Everyone had to know whom I belonged to. Everyone had to know I was not to be trifled with. The letters now engraved into my chest like an ancient Egyptian artwork I had once seen hanging in a museum. Beautiful sunken lines that made my flesh bleed and my skin swell. A relief of sorts, my chest was now a work of art.

Still, the sweat beading on my skin stung as it rolled over the cuts, and I sucked hair sharply through my teeth every time I felt the discomfort. For the pain I resented Vaas a bit. I had seen plenty of men around camp since I got here with tattoos, why did I have to be labeled with something far more gruesome? Why did the cuts have to be so jagged and deep? He could have been gentler, kinder, and softer to the touch. But that wouldn't have been Vaas then, would it. Moments of tenderness with him were few and far between without much to cling onto for memories. I shook my head. No. A tattoo was too soft, too fair and too humane. For me and the rest of his men there had to be this horrid warning of whom we were dealing with, ever wary and ever cautious so as to keep ourselves out of the line of fire. Literally.

I wasn't sure where we were headed to, I had only ever walked to the blue jugs with the white spigots before, and this was a new adventure no doubt about that. I trailed behind him, my bare feet stepping with a newfound confidence as I held my fists vehemently at my side. I was a new woman. No longer would I shake and stutter before the likes of other pirates. I would hold my ground and make sure they knew what would be coming to them if they tried to have their way with me.

As we approached the garage where there were men sitting around a table drinking alcohol and eating rice and some sort of brownish broth. One had his feet on the table and counted a stack of American dollars, occasionally licking his thumb. Another was swaying in his chair, obviously intoxicated as a dark blush filled his cheeks and was plainly visible even underneath his brown mulatto skin.

Vaas whistled and pointed at them. "Out," was all he had to say; even in a soft voice they took his command very seriously, scrambling to collect their things as quickly as possible before getting up and walking away.

I watched them walk by with my eyes only, I dare not twist my neck to follow their movements for fear that Vaas would account that as disloyalty of some sort. He placed a heavy hand on my shoulder, gripping his thick fingers into my skin and humming into my hair. "Sit down, chica," he ordered softly, guiding me to a chair. I followed without a word, my feet dragging heavily beneath my body as I did what I was told.

Sitting down in a chair felt wonderful, even if it was old and rocked a bit with my movement, I had never been so happy to hear the groaning of wood beneath my weight. Vaas was being awfully gentle with me today, using hushed tones and low whispers, soft touches and careful breaths. I wasn't sure what to make of it other than the fact that maybe I was too delirious with hunger to notice anything else.

Apparently I hadn't been paying attention at all because as I looked up I noticed Vaas had put down two wooden bowls and a spoon in front of me, on filled with overcooked white rice and the other with the same broth I had seen the other pirates eating before. He laced his fingers behind his neck and placed his chin on his elbows which pointed toward me, looking at me expectantly as he rested across the table.

"Oh, I- uh thank you," I managed to sputter dizzily. The food looked less than appetizing, and even the thought of eating it should have made me sick, but I hadn't had any nourishment in three days. At this point the stuff looked like a five star meal to me. I picked up the spoon in my right hand and rested it between my fingers, slipping it into the rice first and bringing that to my lips.

The texture was mushy like paste but it hardly fazed me, this rice was the best I was going to get and I was not going to look ungrateful. I could feel Vaas's eyes on me as I finished the entire bowl without a word, shoveling in spoonfuls at a time and scraping along the bottom when there was nothing left. I hardly even tasted it I had eaten so fast, and I reluctantly moved onto the broth.

It smelled like the ocean and I crinkled my nose at it, glancing at Vaas nervously across the table but his expression hadn't changed, he just watched with those light blue eyes, which seemed to burn themselves into my mind every time I looked at them. He made me so nervous, so warm and shaky. My fingers wavered beneath his gaze, which made holding my utensil difficult, but I managed to triumph, slurping the incredibly salty broth one spoonful at a time.

Even as I drank the warm grainy liquid his eyes were still staring, and he hadn't moved from his incredibly casual position even once, just watching my face without wavering. I laughed nervously beneath his gaze and wiped my mouth with the back of my arm. "Vaas are you feeling alright?" I asked. His eyebrows raised and he shrugged.

"I am fine," he replied sternly, his voice a growl in his chest. "Now eat." I couldn't say I believed him considering his behavior. This was very unlike him to be so soft spoken, especially considering how excited he had been to give me my new markings this morning. I clicked my teeth and decided not to persist any further, afraid for what might come if I did.

I placed my hands on either side of the bowl and lifted it to my lips, gulping the warm broth hungrily even though I would have honestly rather gone without it. The saltiness left me parched, and I looked around for anything to drink without success. I glanced up at Vaas from beneath my eyelashes and smiled nervously at him, clasping my hands together on the table and absentmindedly tapping my thumbs. I stared at my scarred knuckles and still healing palms, studying every crack and crevasse in my skin as I awkwardly sat across the table from this fearsome creature.

My ankles crossed beneath my chair as I leaned forward and rested most of my upper body weight on my elbows, clearing my throat and pushing hair off my neck. God it was hot out, the air was moist and humid and it clung to my skin like warm water, which didn't make sporting dark hair that was over a foot and a half long that easy. Before I had arrived to the island I was heavily equipped with more hair ties than I had need for, but here in the jungle I just had to peel it off my skin whenever I got too hot and hope it stayed in its place.

Still nothing made me more uncomfortable than how calm Vaas was being. What was going on with him? I looked up from my hands for just a second to see that he had moved from the table. Was I honestly so blinded by delirium that I hadn't noticed him get up? He had disappeared into the little shack the table was next to, and before I could even get a grasp on the concept that he was gone, he was already back again.

In his hand was a half-empty bottle of what looked like moonshine, or some other type of grain alcohol. Whatever it was it was very strong, and I could smell it even from a few feet away. The scent burned my nose. 'Like rubbing alcohol' I thought to myself, wrinkling my face in distaste. He held the bottle loosely and brought it to his mouth, taking two long gulps that made me flinch. How could he even stomach the stuff?

It was at that moment that I put two and two together. Vaas was drunk. That's why he was being so mellow, so calm. Now that I had lifted the veil of hunger that seemed to blind me prior, it was plain to me that he was intoxicated. His movements were slow and deliberate, with too much concentration for such simple actions. Something must have happened between his visit this morning until now that made him go to a bottle, and it made me uneasy.

What shocked me, though, was how calm of a drunk he was. Maybe he had had so much that now he wasn't entirely conscious, or maybe he was just a mellow drinker, but that made me uneasy. Vaas was never mellow; Vaas was always thinking and planning and talking and doing wicked things. Something told me that as soon as he snapped he was going to come down from this feeling and he was going to come down hard.

I clenched my teeth and flexed my jaw as he made his way back to his chair, sitting down with a hard thud. He made me so uneasy. Even when he was so relaxed I still watched him like a coiled viper, as if he would strike at any moment. In that silence, between his small sips of alcohol and my fear-induced brainstorming, Vaas spoke to me very casually.

"You need a haircut," he said, his words slurring a bit. He moved one arm across the small table and grabbed gently at the ends of my hair, rolling them between his thumb and forefinger.

This made me smile and I pulled my lips into my mouth to keep from laughing. "Sure," I agreed softly, my body seizing up when he had reached for me and clenching tight with fear.

He took another sip from the bottle and then slammed it hard onto the table by the neck, licking his upper lip. His tongue ran smoothly across his own skin, leaving the area moist and glistening in the light. How I craved to have been as lucky as his tongue, to move so gracefully along his mouth. He had been so good to me these past three days… or maybe it was four after all. Maybe even five. I owed him so much. Had it not been for him taking a liking to me I would be dead on the beach or tossed in some shallow ditch. He was so good to me; when he pushed the bottle toward me I had no choice but to accept the generous offer.

I turned the bottle in my hands so my lips carefully lined up with where his had been, tilting it backward and taking a small swig. I practically gagged, and as the burn tore viciously down my throat I coughed and put the bottle back on the table, sucking in air between my teeth and shivering.

Within a few minutes I felt heat enter my face and creep into my ears. This was not anything to be trifled with, one gulp and I was already starting to feel its slowing effects on my body. I looked to Vaas whom had apparently decided to stop drinking and continued to watch me. "Drink it."

"M-more?" I hiccupped, eyebrows arching upward nervously.

"Sí, chiquita, beber todo lo que puedas." His voice was lazy and rolled off his tongue in a thick heap of groans and hums. Luckily I understood enough Spanish to know he wanted me to intake more of the stuff, but that didn't mean I would enjoy it.

I exhaled out of my nose and picked up the bottle with both hands, lifting it to my lips and tilting my head backwards. This time I tried to ignore the burn and took several gulps, at least two shots worth, before throwing the bottle back onto the table. Vaas laughed at my expression as I shivered, sliding my tongue along my teeth and coughing.

I smiled, pride filling me as the sound of his laughter flitted through the air. I had made Vaas laugh. And this laughter wasn't evil or wicked or angry, it didn't make me cringe or freeze in fear. He was just amused, and that made me laugh.

Maybe it was just the booze but at that point the island had turned to mush beneath my feet, and the movement of the ocean sent all around me into rippling, curling waves. My head spun and I found myself clutching to the table to keep from falling out of my chair. What an intense sensation this was. How horrible and amazing and frightening and beautiful. I was awestricken at how only three small sips of the stuff could make me feel this way in such a short time.

I did my best to stand but immediately flopped back onto the chair beneath me, half of my weight misguided and sending me tumbling to the floor. I wasn't new to alcohol, I had drank before and I knew my body well enough to know this was some hardcore heavy shit. Maybe there was something else in it too? A drug of sorts? Never had something affected me in such a way. My body was limp, and it took more energy than it should have to get myself sitting upright again. When I managed to claw myself back into a seating position on my chair I looked across the table. Vaas was gone.

"Vaas?" I called out meekly. The Everclear was still on the table, so surely he would come back for what was left in the bottle sooner rather than later. I twisted around in the chair. "Vaas?" I hiccupped again, looking around for any sign of where he had gone.

I sat there for a few minutes, long enough that I became worried. The sun was climbing its way across the sky and eventually when about twenty minutes had passed I brought myself to my feet, balancing my weight on the table. What with my decision making skills being slightly deterred, it was at this moment that I was set on the idea of going to look for him. Maybe he was passed out somewhere or something. Maybe he needed my help.

And so I made the bold choice of putting one foot in front of the other and stumbling after him. This, however, was no easy feet. The floor writhed beneath me with every step, and my ankles knocked into one another every time I swung my leg. It was a long, heavy movement that required more concentration than I thought possible, swinging my knees up and outward so that my heel, arch, and then toes hit the ground in that order. "Vaas?" I hummed, my lips barely parting as they slurred thickly in my mouth. It was then that I saw another pirate walking past me, and I made my way toward him in sluggish determination. "'Scuse me!" I called.

He stopped and stared at me, or at least I think he was. He looked horrified, and before I could even ask the question he had already turned away from me and walked in the opposite direction. "Wait-no!" I called after him, swaying on my feet.

Somewhere between my yelling and his walking I felt the entire earth shift beneath me. The back of my heels scraped against the dirt and pain screamed through my scalp. It wasn't until the buildings slipped away from me that I realized I was being dragged by my hair across the ground. Rocks dragged down the back of my calves like fingernails as I kicked up dust all around me. I was doing my best to arch my back and get my feet underneath me but I couldn't catch my balance, and every time I seemed to get a foothold on the earth I went slamming back down on my hip, which ached with a dense pain.

My hands went up to my scalp and I dug my fingernails into the hand that was knotted in my hair, screaming. "Let go! D'you know who you're dealing with! Vaas'll kill you!" I screeched, my voice cracking.

I felt my body thump a few times up a set of stairs and I was pushed into a dark room. My room. We were in my little cabin. I fell to the ground, boneless, without any support from my own body as I collapsed like a wet towel in a heavy heap. "Who the fuck-?" I managed to steady myself on my hands and knees and peered up at my attacker. "V-Vaas!" I yelped, eyes widening with fear.

He grabbed my by the root of my hair again and hoisted me to my feet. "Why were you talking to him, huh?" he hissed. "What is this not good enough for you? Don't I take care of you? Huh?!" His words demanded an answer but I was too frightened to give one, and tears brimmed at my lashes as I quaked with fear. "Fuckin' answer me!" He screamed

"I was looking for you!" I squeaked, my heart racing beneath my bones. "You left and I thought you were hurt or something I don't know im sorry I tried to find you I was just looking for you and I didn't know where you went so I asked him-I asked where you had gone but he didn't know and then you- then you-!" My voice was cut off as he slammed his palm over my mouth.

He stared at me suspiciously, heavy breathes escaping his nose as he clenched his jaw. "You were looking for me?" he asked. I nodded. "You didn't do anything else?" I shook my head as much as I could manage between the restriction of his hands. He stared at me for a long time, sort of the way he had done last night, only this was a less desperate look behind his eyes. He was searching my face for a lie, testing me with his gaze and I prayed that my terror did not cause me to falter.

Slowly his hands relaxed, and although they did not grip me stiffly, they also did not remove themselves from my skin. His touch remained there, and one hand smoothed back my long hair while the other slid down my lips and off my chin.

My breath returned to me and I tried not to gasp as to shatter the perfect and fragile silence, my eyes holding his as his body loosened. Neither of us said anything; we only stared at one another as salty drops of water spilled silently from my eyes. Somewhere in the back of my mind a voice told me I wasn't going to cry one of these days; that eventually I would run out of tears.

The tension in the air was palpable, and in those minutes, alone in the cabin with only him, I found myself wondering if he was going to kiss me or kill me. The blood seemed to drain from my face and drop straight to my fingertips, a tingling sensation rolling through my body like a shock from a live wire. I felt my mind question first the sudden rise of this feeling and then my own wellbeing. Was I dying? Surely if Vaas had stabbed me no amount of adrenaline would keep me from feeling blood pool on my skin or flesh being slit open by sharp metal.

There was a small cut on my lips that was still healing from the day I had come to the island, a tiny gash that had now scabbed over and was on its way to being nothing but a memory. He ran his finger over it and my body responded instantaneously. It was like changing a TV channel to one without a signal: my body had become an incoherent jumble of static, tiny bits of me bounced around beneath my skin and my heart raced.

Perhaps it was the alcohol, perhaps I was just being brave, but I knew for a fact that what I was about to do was stupid. I stretched my neck slightly and tilted my chin upward, covering the small gap between us with only the slowest of movements.


	8. Sate

**I apologize for such a late chapter. I have been crazy busy with school and midterms and ugh**

**Finally i managed to carve a bit of time out of my schedule to bring you guys another installment. Hopefully its better than the last chapter because oh god. i reread it recently and realized that i was half asleep when i posted it and overlooked some pretty obvious and jarring flaws, so im sorry about that. but i hope you enjoy this one!**

My eyes remained open until I connected to his mouth, and his lids slowly fell as if slipping into a dream. The kiss was soft and chaste, purely innocent from an objective view but behind it was every piece of passion inside of me pushing to break through the thin and delicate barrier. I wanted him.

His lips received mine with the same softness until his laced his fingers in the back of my head, twisting them into my hair and cupping my skull with an open palm. His other hand guided the left side of my face by my jaw line and he suddenly pushed that kiss into something more. The contact between our bodies seemed to harden and he gripped my bottom lip in between his teeth, biting until I could feel blood slide elegantly down my chin. My body was too distracted by his too be bothered with the pain, but I did gasp.

He took his opportunity, sliding his tongue savagely along the new cut and entering my mouth. I hungrily took him in, but as soon as he was there he was gone again, moving from my mouth to soft and sensitive skin of my neck. I allowed myself to open my eyes again at this moment, only to be met with the naked light bulb hanging limply from the ceiling before I shut them once more.

His tongue left his mouth to slide along my skin before biting down and pulling it in between his lips. I could feel the tiniest blood vessel crackle on the surface of my neck, a dark bruise forming beneath his mouth and I moaned softly. A dark and rumbling growl of sorts escaped him, and with his mouth on my neck it vibrated directly into me. I pushed my hips toward him and pulled my chest to his, my soft breasts and belly flattening against his muscular physique.

I felt like I was trying to meld my body with his, this perfect and unique creature. He was a new kind of drug: the kind that made you think your skin was going to evaporate off your bones. He had turned me into something twisted and wild. A part of me, a very quiet part, still sat huddled in the back recesses of my mind tapping on the glass and begging for me to stay sane, but a much bigger part encouraged me to fully embrace it all.

Vaas's mouth traveled all down my neck and across my shoulders, leaving swollen purple flowers in his wake. Thankfully he avoided the delicate flesh that still throbbed on my breastbone, probably to keep from ruining his masterpiece. The savage feeling of his teeth and lips on my skin made me moan and shiver, and I reached my hands out to touch the sides of his face. His jaw flexed beneath my fluttering touch, my nervous fingertips guiding along the sandpaper like texture of his growing facial hair.

The groaning sound that erupted from his body made me ache with need and a soft mewl of desperation escaped my lips. The thirst for him parched my mouth like cotton, and was only quenched when his kisses continued upward again o find my throbbing lips. It all seemed to be a blur, the air around me turned to water and I needed him to breathe, his tongue and teeth were my only salvation and I clung to him as if my life depended on it. He seemed to respond to my fingernails clawing into the tanned skin on his shoulders and arms, and I could feel his growing erection as he hoisted my thighs around his waist.

The bulge pressing out beneath his pants met with the heat between my thighs and our hips grinded together. My nerves seemed to be exposed to the air and I shivered uncontrollably, my breath wavering as it escaped nervously past my lips and onto his. I felt like I was in high school, like I had snuck off in the middle of a party with my crush so we could kiss in a spare bedroom, giggling nervously and groping one another with blind and inexperienced hands.

But this was far from such a childish experience. The energy he seemed to bring out of me was like a hurricane, twisting and spiraling up inside of me as I wreaked havoc on everything around me. As if on cue something clattered to the ground as Vaas slammed me against a wall and I held back my laughter, too consumed by his vicious and hungry kisses to be bothered with anything else.

In the midst of all the kissing and biting and pain and pleasure I did something that I didn't think would prove to be as much of an issue as it did. The word emerged from my mouth like a bird, fluttering what I thought to be innocently into the air. "Vaas," I moaned softly, speaking his name like a prayer, a plea for him. His body stiffened at the sound of his own voice, though my kisses continued until I realized he no longer reciprocated. I withdrew from him, but before I could lean my head back enough to look at his face he let go of my legs and sent me falling downward with a hiss of air sliding through my teeth.

I hit the floor hard, sliding down the wall behind me and pounding onto the ground. The solid hit vibrated violently through my body as my head struck backward and I yelped in pain. Everything had been going so well, why had he done that? Why had he dropped me so suddenly and without warning? The effects of the alcohol still had a grip on me and the room was spinning beneath my feet. "N-no!" I gasped as he stepped away from me. His eyes never met mine, instead he stared at the wall where I had been only a few seconds before with a deadly intensity. "Vaas?" I asked after what felt like hours of no sound.

Even the birds outside, the jungle itself, seemed to stiffen and quake silently beneath the brooding cloud of his sudden change in mood. I looked up at him from the ground and finally his eyes found me again. Relief rushed through my body as his hand stretched outward to brush some of my dark hair out of my face. His breathing was still heavy and it left his lungs in ragged gushes of air. He mumbled something under his breath and stared at me for a while, letting the strands slide between his fingers as he withdrew his hand and headed for the door.

He shoved his hand down his pants and adjusted himself as he went, stumbling slightly before kicking open the door. I sat panting on the ground, biting the inside of my mouth and watching him leave. I wanted him, what a shame. I was insatiable now that he was gone. Or was I?

I tentatively unbuttoned the top of my shorts, a hot blush creeping into my face as I lowered the zipper. I leaned back and shut my eyes, sliding my hand into the denim and imagining it was his. My fingers explored my heated sex with knowing movements, and I bit my lip where he had torn the skin while exhaling softly. Nervously my eyes opened to peek out at the big red door, chest rising and falling as my fingers attempted to sate the need between my legs.

My body crept toward orgasm as my fingernails tugged roughly as my own nipples and I made my lips bleed again. This is the way Vaas would have done it. Vaas would have left me bruised and battered. My hand left my breast and I brought it to my mouth, prodding at the swollen flesh. I was so close. Why couldn't I get there? I imagined his eyes, light blue and full of sweet anger. Sweat beaded on my brown and soft mewls escaped my mouth and I arched my back. In my mind I saw his body, his strong arms and taught chest. I was so close. His tan skin that tasted of salt and iron. So close. I bit down on my hand enough to just barely break the skin, the bruise of my teeth forming on my pale flesh before I erupted in pleasure.

My toes curled and tears came to my eyes as I dug my teeth harder into my hand, my body quaking and shivering until I collapsed. My breathing was rough and exhausted, and I curled on my side so I could stare at the door in quiet and private embarassment. When would he be back, I wondered.


	9. Separation

**Alright friends, I'm back. This update has been a long time coming, but your support really keeps me going so thank you all so much for your favorites/follows/reviews! keep em coming!**

**enjoy~**

My back had begun to ache after a few hours of sitting in front of the red door. I stared at it from my position, eyeing the stream of sunlight that peeped from beneath the door and slowly crawled along the floorboards as the sun made its way across the sky. It was later in the day with the hazy afternoon light spilling across the ground when I decided to lay flat on my stomach to count the hours and patiently await Vaas's return. He would be back soon; I was sure of it.

When the sun finally disappeared and the heavy hum of the floodlights outside kicked in my eyelids were beginning to flutter closed. I had to concentrate to stay awake, even going so far as to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from getting drowsy, but it was no use. I eventually drifted off into a dreamless sleep, awoken the next day by the sounds of footsteps coming up the stairs.

Heat crept into my face and my heart began racing as I quickly picked myself up and backed away from the cabin's entrance, waiting for Vaas to walk in as I wiped drool off my face with the back of my hand and brushed off my clothes. The door swung open and the instant I saw the figure in front of me my face fell. "Who are you?" I asked accusingly.

The strange pirate said nothing, only placed a gallon jug of water on the ground and next to it a wooden plate with about three small fish that had been cooked over and open flame, scales charred to black and still warm. My stomach seemed to clench at the sight, hunger pains gripping me so tightly I nearly fell to my knees. "Where is Vaas?" I demanded, pushing away the urge to feast.

"Away."

The word cut me like a knife, and before I could ask another question the door was slammed in my face. "Wait! No! Come back here!" I heaved my weight into opening the door but to no use, the pirate must have locked it knowing I would want answers from him. I let out a groan in frustration, digging my fingernails into my palm and screaming loudly before thrusting my fist into the red door; what hadn't occurred to me was that this was a heavy red _metal_ door, probably steel or iron, and my knuckles bounced off of it instantly, sending a wave of pain up my arm and another bout of angry screaming from my mouth.

This sent me reeling to the ground, gripping my right hand with my left and growling between my teeth. Eventually the snarls and grunts faded into soft mewls of pain and I laid back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling and still gripping my right wrist as the throbbing subsided. "Fuck," was the only word I could muster, and it burbled from my mouth like bile.

My eyes found nothing to focus on, only stared uselessly into the air while the rest of the world went on around me. What was Vaas doing that had sent him away without even a word of goodbye? It occurred to me that maybe this trip hadn't been planned, since there was another man taking care of me. Surely Vaas would have given me a long speech about how I am not even to look at this other pirate until he returned, and if he didn't have time to do that it must truly be something urgent. I reassured myself in silence before finally bringing my body to an upright sitting position, glancing over at the food and water that had been brought to me.

"I hate fish," I muttered to myself, glaring at the plate. Maybe I would refuse to eat it out of spite; starve to death so that when Vaas returned he would be so angry he would kill that other pirate to avenge me. He would be so mad. The thought made me snort with laughter as I imagined what he would say to me if he could see me like this. "You have to eat chur food, chicá," I mumbled in my sorriest Vaas impression. "If you don't, I'm gunna blow your FUCKIN brains out, okay?"

My fingers prodded one of the fish's charred outer skin, peeling it back to reveal the soft white flesh beneath. "But I hate fish!" I whined. "Well you better start liking it, then, hermana, becuss I don' want chu dying _just yet._" I chuckled to myself and lifted pieces of fish into my mouth, tossing the skinny ribs aside and being careful to avoid eating the bones. My father once told me when I was young that fish bones can poke holes in your intestines and kill you. I wasn't sure if that part was true, but it kept me from eating them anyways.

Between bites of fish I took huge gulps of water from the gallon jug, struggling to lift it at first but figuring out a system after a few tries. I balanced it on my bent knees and tilted it just barely so it spilled into my mouth, drinking as much as I could hold in my belly. The fish actually weren't terrible, and the only things left after I had picked the bodies clean were the heads. I once saw a cousin of mine eat the eyeballs, but I was too squeamish to even consider doing such a thing, even in these circumstances. It then occurred to me that I didn't really have to worry about food or water anymore, considering this pirate who would be bringing me food now with Vaas gone.

But still, I would have given up my plate of small fish and my gallon jug if it meant Vaas would return, especially after what had happened last night. I sat curled up in my corner with my scratchy brown wool blanket and replayed every detail in my mind, over and over again. It had been so perfect… why did he drop me? Why couldn't he just give in and let it happen? Why did he have to ruin it? He couldn't let his guard down for one second, for one fucking second. I clenched my jaw and snorted angrily. Of course not, he was too proud to let himself give in to any temptation that was not tediously planned and controlled by him in every way. It was something he wanted but something he hadn't planned for, and so that probably freaked him out.

Still, I did miss him terribly, and it worried me that he would away from camp long enough to need somebody to take care of me in his absence. What if he was gone for weeks? Months, even? What if he never came back at all? A horrible feeling sank into my gut and I paled at the thought of losing him forever, sinking my head lower between my shoulders and holding my face in my palms. A few hours of sulking later and the pirate came by again, dropping off more food and another refilled jug of water before taking the old one and my plate of fish bones away without a word. This time it was the same rice and broth combination Vaas had given me before, and this time I tried to imagine him sitting across a table from me, regarding my movements with such interest as he had that day. What was that two days ago? No yesterday, or maybe last night? I hummed angrily at my slipping memory, and decided it would be most useful if I could somehow keep track of time in here, since this seemed to be my permanent home.

In the first day following Vaas's leaving, I had to keep myself busy with other things. Using my feet wrapped in an old beach towel I swept the floors clean of broken glass, making sure I got every last piece so I didn't have to worry about cutting myself anymore. I gathered all off Vaas's empty alcohol bottles and lined them up neatly along the wall on the floor instead of taking up space on the table. That day I was fed three times, in the morning I was given a large and ripe mango along with a gallon of water, in the afternoon I got a small bowl of rice and another gallon jug, and at night I got another plate of three small fish and my jug was replaced for a third time. With all the work I was doing it wasn't hard to get most of the water down without trouble, seeing as I sweat out more and more of it every hour.

On the second day I decided to go through some more of the backpacks thrown haphazardly along the back of the cabin where I had found the tiny compact mirror to see if I could find a paper and pen. I organized my findings on top of the freed up space of the table, putting it into two piles: useful, and other. The useful pile came to include: four pencils, two pens, a travel calendar from 2010, a menstrual cup, a half broken pocket knife, some tangled up rope, antibacterial ointment, binoculars, two survival blankets, a rain poncho, and a chocolate flavored protein bar set to expire three months from now. The 'Other' pile consisted mostly of things like magazines, travel brochures, and other various knickknacks I hadn't found a use for quite yet. On this day I was only fed twice, once in the morning and once again at night, fish and rice both times.

Without much else to keep me busy I spent most of the days pacing and waiting for Vaas to return. I would sit directly in front of the red door all day for hours on end, only moving to go to the bathroom (a hole in the floor) or to return to my blanket nest in the corner at night. One day I spent the entire day walking in a circle around the cabin and re-counting everything in my inventory in case I missed something the twelfth time around. Keeping track of the days made me want to beat my head in, but I found it helped for me to record my thoughts in the blank spots on the half-empty travel calendar. Some days I would write down thoughts and feelings, long winded prose about what I had done that day and how I felt about it; other days it would just be what I had eaten that day or maybe another recollection of inventory.

It felt like time was starting to slow down, like the sun was mocking me with its slow crawl across the sky. All day I sat poised in front of the red door, my muscles cramping and contracting uncomfortably as I became stiff with as a result of my almost complete lack of movement. It was maddening, all of this sitting around and doing nothing. I was becoming antsy but at the same time sluggish, I wanted to go for a jog but also spent a lot of my extra time sleeping on the ground in front of the red door. It was a very hollow feeling, being this alone, and I missed Vaas so much it hurt. It pained me to not see him, not hear his voice, not smell the salt on his skin.

It was a horrible feeling nestled at my very core and I began to fall ill; it appeared my ache for him was manifesting itself in my physical form. I craved him so deeply that my body was starting to reject food and I could only get down water or a few grains of rice at a time. It had been over a week, and the past two days were brutal.

I was starting to think he would never come back, and so I inched away from the red door and watched the sunlight creep across the floor from the comfort of my blankets. My eyelashes were kissing the tops of my cheeks tenderly with each heavy fall of my eyelids, when I heard the pounding of footsteps. My food was being dropped off a bit early this afternoon, it seemed. I sat up and wiped a bit of sweat from my upper lip before standing just in time to see the door swing open with heavy momentum and a looming silhouette headed straight toward me like a tiger. I'd recognize that walk anywhere and found myself immediately collapsing against the wall behind me. I cowered beneath the heavy shadow of his figure and prepared for the worst. He pulled me up roughly by my wrist and grabbed either side of my face forcefully, cutting off my yelp of pain with his mouth on mine.

I gasped, a bit surprised by him, such a reaction was not what I expected but I certainly wasn't complaining. His kisses were filled with longing, as if he wanted to engulf every part of me and steal the very breath from my body. His eager mouth making its way along my jaw-line made me let out a tiny moan and just like that he was back to my lips again, smashing his face against mine with bruising force. Instead of melting beneath him as I always seemed to, my body discovered a newfound vigor within me, wrapping my arms around his neck and hoisting myself up around his waist. His kisses were maddening, his warm tongue, which tasted of cigarettes, reaching out to glide over my bottom lip and enter my mouth with force; with each of his movements I could feel myself grinding against his body.

One of his hands held the back of my head stiffly in place, cupping my skull by the base and tangling his fingers into my hair. The other was gripping my thigh firmly to keep me from sliding off of him, but eventually he let go of me, throwing me down onto my stack of blankets and tearing off his shirt. A warm shiver went through me as he tossed it aside. Oh my.

Thick and dark hair grew coarsely between his pectorals and his body was gleaming with sweat. Every curve of his musculature was viciously defined beneath his skin and his body was riddled with scars, if we had the time I would have counted and traced every one of those tiny imperfections but Vaas didn't grant me such a courtesy. He dropped to his knees in front of me and leaned over my body, holding himself up with his elbows on either side of my head while I kissed him.

My hands ventured downward, coming to the clasp of his belt and struggling with it for only a few moments before I got it to hang limply around his waist. Before I could get to the button of his jeans he lurched me upward and tore the red wife-beater from my torso, tossing it aside and sitting me in his lap. His body was firm against mine, the soft white flesh of my breasts compressing beneath the pressure of his pectorals. Even through the madness of undressing he still managed to find me without fault, his lips connecting with mine and his teeth grazing along the soft pink petals of my mouth. I wasn't on his lap for very long, flipping me over so I was beneath him as he easily unbuttoned my pants and slipped them over my knees and off my legs, discarding them with the other articles of clothing.

His hand found its way between my thighs, sliding wetly into my sex without trouble and I moaned. He brought his free hand up to my face and clamped it over my mouth, leaning over me and staring into my eyes as he toyed with my clit. He studied my face closely, watching for any change in expression as I gasped and mewled as quietly as I could beneath his hand. My eyes rolled upward and my eyelashes fluttered and when I regained my poise I could see him smirking at me, blue irises half guarded by his heavy lids as he looked on with pride. I blushed and glanced away from him, but he caught my attention again when he had slid two fingers between my teeth and held them in my mouth, the other hand that had been between my thighs now moving to unclasp his own pants.

He lifted me up quite suddenly, carrying me over to the table and pushing my inventory aside before plopping me down so that he was standing and I was not. He pushed me backward so my shoulder blades were flat against the wood and I felt his hands pulling me closer to the edge by my hips. He parted my knees and swung one over either shoulder, his torso looming over my body. He stared at me with his beautiful blue eyes. There was something about me being trapped beneath him like prey that got him off, because I had never seen him so excited. His lips parted and his eyebrows rose slightly, gauging my reaction as he guided himself inside of me with deliberate slowness.

My chest tightened and all the air left my lungs in a heavy gush of breath as his length filled me. I opened my eyes for just a moment to see him looking down at me with a cocky smirk. He was quite pleased with himself. Vaas's hips withdrew slightly and I whimpered at the emptiness that was left behind before he thrust himself even deeper into me. I moaned and he placed his palm on my chin, guiding a few fingers into my mouth so his knuckles were grazing my teeth. They pressed down against my tongue and gagged me to keep me from making any more noise and I took the hint.

I was so wet that he slid inside of me without trouble, but the sheer girth of his member stretched me wide; pain and pleasure melded into the same warm ecstasy that seemed to flow through my body like an electric current. Again and again he thrust into me, his hips slamming hard into the soft thick fat of my ass and he sent my whole body jolting backward on the table. My breasts heaved painfully across my chest and he bent down for a moment to take a nipple between his teeth. Whilst in the middle of the act, Vaas managed to give me eight hickies on my breasts alone, dropping my knees from his shoulder so they hooked around his body. This way his mouth could more easily find the supple skin of my neck that could be most effectively bruised. He chewed on my earlobe and nibbled at my jaw, all the while small gasps of pleasure escaping my mouth around his fingers.

The sensation of his rough skin rubbing against my swollen clit had me nearing orgasm, and I timed my hips to buck against his thrusts just enough to get me off. When I slid my hand downward to pleasure myself he stopped it, pinning my wrist with his free hand and making an angry growling noise in my ear.

Vaas reclined off of my body again and removed his hand from my mouth, breath quickening as he neared his finish. His eyes fixed themselves on mine so that whenever I managed to open my eyelids his perfect blue orbs were staring back at me. This sent shivers through my body and he used his now saliva-covered free hand to massage the exposed bundle of nerves just above my opening. I clasped my unpinned hand over my mouth to keep from crying out, only allowing myself small grunts or gasps here and there as his length dug deeper inside of me, seeming to reach a new depth with every plunge.

He gave three final thrusts before his release, his body quaking with orgasm as a hand slid up my stomach and to the base of my neck. Gripping it tightly and I gasped for breath, but he withdrew after a few moments, pulling up his pants from around his knees and clasping the belt buckle. Regardless of the vice grip being for only a few seconds, there would still be bruises around my neck to show for it.

I sat up dizzily and watched the rippling muscles of his back glimmer beneath the light of the naked bulb, sweat sliding down the skin like dew. I pushed hair out of my face and tried to catch my breath as he turned to me, recollecting himself and pulling on his shirt. He stared at me in silence for a bit, cocking a brow as I sat cross-legged on the table, chest heaving. A small breath of laughter escaped his lips and he walked over to me, taking my right hand in his.

"You broke your hand," he stated in a very matter-of-fact way, lip curling upward in distaste and searching my face for an explanation.

"I punched the door."

"You're an idiot," was his only reply, dropping the hand into my lap and walking toward the exit. He looked back at me one final time and clenched his jaw, flexing his fingers into a fist and grinding his teeth. Vaas drew in a breath sharply, eyes fixated on me even as he opened the door and stepped out, only looking away when he walked down the steps and it swung shut behind him.


End file.
